Category Archives: Tips & Tools

A: Dear Melinda, In regard to your software for event and meeting planning, you need project and time management software not so much an event or meeting-planning software. Fortunately, there are many options to choose from. I find that Project KickStart is consistently the easiest to use for tracking tasks, deadlines, events, etc. It is…

A: In today’s world of Twitter and Facebook, business and personal relationships have become, well, blurred. In addition, many companies don’t even have enforced dress codes anymore. It can be hard to navigate these friendlier types of work environments. But be careful and remember you are at work. Regardless of your company’s decorum and level…

The reality of life is that we are all never far from adversity, never far from that moment that changes us forever. It can be in the uncertainty of tomorrow or the harshness of today, but adversity finds us—at work and at home. It’s not a matter of if—it’s a matter of when. So how…

After majoring in tourism, restaurant and hotel management (plus foreign language) at Purdue University, Kenneth J. Fischang, CHME, CMP set a goal of working in as many different sectors of the hospitality industry as he could, to learn about it first-hand. And he has succeeded. Fischang started his career with Hyatt (Chicago, Lincolnwood, Long Beach…

A: The sure, fast way is to try heavy-hitting speakers and topical issues targeted at your specific audience. These attract attendees to the general sessions. A sure-fire way to keep your attendees in the general session is to mix it up. It seems easy, but in reality, it becomes challenging. The most important thing to…

These are definitely challenging economic times for the hospitality and meetings industries, as well as the country as a whole. Most companies are doing everything they can to survive the recession, but layoffs may be part of the equation. If you think your company or organization might go this route, you do have options: work…

A: America is experiencing its first significant drop in GDP since 1981, so few professionals have real experience with downturns like this. Also, this recession is different from anything experienced for the past 80 years, which has created a host of new conditions for planners. Take hotels for instance. According to the Washington Post “Some…

A: Dear Teresa, There are so many ways to find a viable and worthy charity. Start with determining what is most important to you and your corporation. Children? Environment? Learning? Any specific medical conditions or illnesses? Perhaps your neighbor’s son has autism or your father passed away from brain cancer. If you are still uncommitted,…

Q: Do you have a list of hidden costs that I should ask when booking hotels? -Ms. L, Minnetonka, Minnesota A: Dear Ms. L, Wouldn't life be so easy if in our business everything were available on an all-inclusive list? Sadly, it cannot be. And because every program and every meeting is different, let…

Ethics isn’t a topic we often discuss, so for this month’s Smart Planner column we drew on a panel discussion focusing on “Ethics in Today’s Meeting Industry,” held at a MEETnow! MPI regional conference. As part of his introduction, moderator Rick Weaver, said “Oftentimes when considering the concept of ethics and the role that it…

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